Alstaer Gaemon
Alstaer was born into the Gaemon Royal family, monarchs of the Mesaje ice desert. However, throughout his childhood he struggled to communicate or commiserate with his fellow elves. Kept relatively isolated from his peers, Alstaer's only non-familial relationship was with the Thaushiri trader Karul Ma'lel, whom he grew to admire over the years. Through Karul's influence, Alstaer began to practice druidic arts related to fire and electricity (considered far more dangerous by his father and thus kept from his official lessons). This led to him eventually melting the central throne room of the palace in a fit of anger, which resulted in Karul's dismissal from the Gaemon's service. Karul left behind his cat, Elia, to watch over Alstaer, but was otherwise not seen again by the prince. Throughout his childhood, Alstaer spent much time exploring the ice drifts around the royal states and other nomadic settlements, fascinated with the sparse life that flourished in the Mesaje: this majorly being the white leopards that patrolled the borders. Finding these creatures noble, Alstaer befriended many of the cats and sought their company out, often spending days away from his family and the staunch rules of the nobility. On his first nomadic journey, he took refuge in a settlement on the far edges of the ice desert, in which he found an injured creature condemned by the nomads. Though the creature had before killed and eaten several people, Alstaer found no fault in it living as it saw natural and released it from its cage, unwittingly putting himself in danger. Though the creature made to attack him, Alstaer drew it out and into the desert, where they were forced together for survival, travelling the desert for two years. In this, Alstaer was able to earn a solid ally, naming the creature Shu. However, after being forced to return home, he found his new friend once more targeted, with many nobles suggesting it be executed for the safety of the people. Alstaer offered to surrender his position as prince to save Shu but his father offered another solution: for Alstaer to find a safe land for it outside the ice desert. From the start of the first campaign, Alstaer was searching for Shu outside his homeland, whilst seeking a place to provide safe habitation for his dear friend. It was his parents’ hope as well that Alstaer would come to care for and trust in others. Campaign 1 and Aftermath: Alstaer became a core member of the Krism Kollective in the first campaign, at first hiding his royal status and showing distrust towards his new allies. Over time however, he grew to value each of them, and they progressed together through many encounters to eventually defeat the ancient white ice dragon in Eldralyth. Alstaer also managed to recover Shu in a battle with the Krism Kollective, and has since reverted her to her original form. She was later cared for in Ironstone in an effort to remove the curse imparted on her, only very recently returned to Alstaer as a companion. The relationships forged during the first campaign proved very important to Alstaer, as he learnt how to respect and relate to his allies as well as form deeper bonds with those around him. He most notably befriended Kas in the original party, with the two becoming unlikely best friends and confidants to one another. Though she left soon after the dragon’s defeat in Eldralyth to fight in the gauntlet, Alstaer still kept in regular contact with her via letters. The two of them form 'The Alliance', where their differences balance each other out to form one of the strongest relationships across the campaigns. He also developed a complex relationship with the Thaushiri wizard Luran, whom he’d previously sought the aid of in locating Shu, on his mother’s bequest. Alstaer has come to realise that his feelings for Luran are fairly deep, but he struggles to acknowledge them.